Milk bottle tap



June 19, 1956 s, MANNlNG, 5 2,751,119

MILK BOTTLE TAP Filed April 28, 1.952

Euyene 6. Mann/r757 Jr:

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYJ United States Patent "ice MILK BOTTLE TAP Eugene S. Manning, Sr., Houston, Tex.

Application April 28, 1952, Serial No. 284,729

4 Claims. (Cl. 222-81) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in taps for containers and relates particularly to a tap adaptable for use with the usual cardboard milk carton.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved tap which may be readily inserted through the Wall of the carton at a desired point for withdrawing the contents of the carton.

An important object is to provide a tap which is so arranged that it may be employed for the purpose of withdrawing the contents of the container and which may also function as a closure for the opening made by the cap whereby the contents may be withdrawn periodically and contamination of the contents is prevented even though the tap remains in position.

Still another object is to provide an improved tap which has an outer tubular member and an inner tubular member mounted therein, with flow passages in the members adapted to be aligned, whereby when the tap is inserted into a container fluid may be withdrawn when the passages are aligned and fluid flow may be closed off when such passages are out of alignment.

Still another object is to provide a very simple tap which is very cheap in construction and which is particularly adapted for use with the usual paper milk carton, said tap being usable to withdraw the milk from the carton or to draw oil? the cream from the upper end thereof.

The construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features thereof.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown, and wherem:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a paper milk carton having the improved tap inserted therein in the closed position.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and illustrates the relationship of the radial openings in the telescoped tubular bodies.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of a paper carton wherein the tap has been inserted therein and the openings have been aligned to permit the flow of the contents from the container.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the improved tap of this invention, taken on line 44 of Fig. 3, and illustrates the marks on the two tubular members which are used to determine the position of the openings in the members when the tap is inserted into the container.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the improved tap of this invention.

In the drawings, the letter A designates the improved tap of this invention which comprises an outer tubular body and an inner tubular body 11. The outer tubular body 10 has a sharp point 12 at one end thereof for the insertion of the tap A into a carton such as the carton 14 illustrated in Fig. 1. This tap is particularly de- 2,751,119 Patented June 19, 1956 signed for withdrawing the contents from a container such as 14 wherein the contents comprise milk or other liquid 15. It will be appreciated that this tap A could be used with cartons of different forms and shapes than the carton 14 shown in the drawings.

The inner tubular body 11 telescopes within the outer tubular body 10 and is also rotatable relative thereto. The outer surface 11a of the inner body 11 is in sufliciently close contact with the axial bore 13 of the outer body 10 to prevent leakage of the liquid between the body 10 and the body 11. The outer body 10 has diametrically opposed openings 16 in its cylindrical wall 17. The inner tubular body 11 has similar diametrically opposed openings 18 in its cylindrical wall 19. The outer body 10 has a flange 20 which limits the extent of penetration of the tap A into the container 14. The inner tubular body 11 has a flange 21 which in some instances may serve as a stop to prevent the inner telescoping movement of the body 11 relative to the outer body 10, but in the forms shown in the drawings such flange merely serves as a means to rotate the inner body 11 relative to the outer body 10. As can be seen in Fig. 1, the pointed end 12 provides the restriction 22 which limits the amount of telescoping between the two bodies 10 and 11. When the inner body 11 has reached its fully telescoped position and is stopped from further telescoping by reason of the restriction 22, the radial ports or passages 16 and 18 are in the same transverse plane whereby upon rotation of the inner body 11 relative to the outer body 10, such passages can be aligned so that there is a communication between the inside of the container and the open end 23 of the inner tube 11. It can be determined when the openings are aligned by the indicator marks 24 and 25 which are located on the flanges 20 and 21 respectively. When these marks 24 and 25 are aligned, then it is known that the passages 16 and 18 are aligned within the carton 14. If the level of the milk or other liquid 15 is below the tap A then pouring of such liquid can be accomplished by tilting of the carton 14. In the use of the tap for withdrawing milk from the carton 14 the tap is inserted through the wall of the carton near the top thereof. It has been found that the ordinary paper milk cartons are of suflicient stiifness so that there is no leakage of the milk or other liquid 15 from the carton after the tap has been inserted. The outer tube 10 of the tap A is of such length that it will not penetrate the opposite wall of the carton before the flange 20 stops the inward movement thereof. The tap is inserted into the carton with the indicator marks 24 and 25 misaligned with a corresponding misalignment of the openings 16 and 18, whereby the tap is in its closed position. When it is desired to withdraw the liquid 15 from the carton 14 it is only necessary to align the indicator marks 24 and 25 so as to also align the openings 16 and 18 to permit the communication between the inside of the carton 14 and the opening 23 for the withdrawal of the liquid 15. When the level of the liquid 15 is below the tap A the carton 14 must of course be tilted inward to withdraw the liquid.

After the desired quantity of the liquid in the container has been withdrawn it is only necessary to rotate the tubes 10 and 11 relative to each other so that the openings 16 and 18 are again misaligned and the communication from the inside of the carton with the opening 23 is closed. Such closed position is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, while the open position is shown in Fig. 3.

The tap A may also be employed in drawing ofi the cream from the milk within the container and in such case the tap is inserted at the cream line which is visible through the paper carton. The carton 14 would be held vertically upright so that the cream would flow 011 by sired, or if the milk below the creamline is then to be withdrawn such withdrawal can be effected by merely tilting the container 14.

The tap A may be formed of metal, plastic or any other suitable material so long as it is sufficiently rigid to permit the pointed end 12 to pierce the usual paper milk carton. It will be appreciated that the particular arrangement of the openings 16 and 18 as illustrated in the drawings is shown by way of example only and other suitable openings could be used in other arrangements. Thus, the openings instead of being diametrically opposite each other may be disposed at various angles and more than two openings may be provided in each of the tubular bodies and 11 if desired. Also instead of rotating the inner tubular body 11 relative to the outer tubular body 10 for the opening and closing of the tap, such opening and closing may be effected by axial or longitudinal movement of the openings 18 relative to the openings 16. Thus for example if the tap is in the open position shown in Fig. 3 the tap may be closed by moving the inner body 11 outwardly so that the openings 16 and 18 are axially misaligned. Suitable indicator marks could be provided on the outside of the tubular body 11 to indicate when the openings 16 and 18 are in the same transverse plane, but preferably the tube 11 is of such length that the openings 16 and 18 would be in the same transverse plane when the inward movement of the tube 11 is stopped by the tapered restriction 22.

It is thus believed evident that the improved tap of this invention provides a simple and eliicient means for the withdrawing of the contents from a container such as a paper milk carton, without the necessity of movement of the portion of the tap in contact with the wall of the container after such tap has been inserted into such wall. Thus the tap of this invention eliminates damage to the opening in the wall through which the tap projects, whereby the seal between the tap and the wall is maintained even though the tap itself is opened and closed many times during its use in a single container.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A tap for withdrawing the contents from a container comprising, an outer tubular body having an axial bore with an open end and a closed end terminating on the external surface of the body in a sharp smooth surfaced point, an inner tubular body fitting within said axial bore and extending from said open end of said outer tubular body, said inner and outer tubular bodies having alignable flow ports therein, the axial bore of said outer tubular body being of a reduced size at its closed end to limit the inward movement of said inner tubular body relative to said outer tubular body for positioning said flow ports in the same transverse plane, said sharp point being adapted to pierce the wall of the container upon a non-rotative longitudinal movement of the outer tubular body whereby the contents of the container may be withdrawn upon the alignment of said flow ports, and means for rotating said inner tubular body relative to said outer tubular body to align said flow ports when they are positioned in the same transverse plane for the withdrawal of the contents from the container.

2. The tap device as set forth in claim 1, including indicator marks on the outer and inner tubular bodies for determining when said flow ports are aligned in an open position or misaligned in a closed position.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the outside surface of said inner tubular body is in contact with the inner surface of said outer tubular body, whereby the contents of the container cannot pass between the inner and the outer tubular bodies.

4. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the sharp point on the external surface of the outer tubular body is substantially conical and the reduced size of the axial bore in the outer tubular member is formed by an inner substantially conical bore portion, and wherein said inner tubular body is longitudinally slidable relative to the outer tubular body for completely removing the inner tubular body from the outer tubular body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 398,162 Keane Feb. 19, 1889 454,217 Keeler June 16, 1891 537,755 Crozier Apr. 16, 1895 1,745,382 Rogers Feb..4, 1930 1,865,233 Campbell June 28, 1932 2,552,155 Danielson May 8, 1951 2,585,538 Daniels Feb. 12, 1952 I I'l 

